Its not worth it
by acemaclove88
Summary: just wrote this on a whim. but Rory and Dean are having issues, Tristan and Rory have been okay friends lately. One day its too much for her and she goes AWOL at Chilton, and plays hooky with a certain blond haired blue eyed boy.
1. Chapter 1

"Stupid Dean…stupid bird kisses, stupid Dean

Chapter 1: Bird boy

"Stupid Dean…stupid bird kisses, stupid Dean! Stupid Beanstalk…too tall. He was too tall for me. What was I thinking! I probably looked like an oompa loompa standing next to him! Oh and the hair…god his hair was ridiculous…made his head look like a basketball. Stupid basketballs. Who likes basketballs anyways? I mean they're round…and big and hard…and orange! What kind of color is orange for a ball. I mean as if you could miss that honking thing coming at you…they had to go and make it orange!" Rory muttered to herself as she picked her books out of her locker.

"Did I just hear you say 'bird like kisses,' oompa loompa, and do a little spiel about basketballs? Tristan asked amused as he came up next to her

"Hi Tristan" Rory said irritated, not at him just at everything.

"Define bird like" He went on with a smirk

"Tristan" Rory warned slamming her locker shut

"What's wrong Mary" he asked ducking his head towards her with a petulant look on his face

"You know what's wrong" She snapped

"Yes. But I didn't know you could write an entire term paper on it. So tell me before you put pen to paper, because he might be _slightly_ disgruntled if he ever finds it" Tristan stated

"You want to leave?" Rory asked suddenly

"What?" he asked immediately thinking he heard her wrong

"Leave? Do you want to leave this crazy institution" she repeated impatiently

"Well…"

"Great" She said not letting him finish. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the building towards his car "Drive" She ordered as she snagged the keys out of his pockets and unlocked the doors. Walking around to the drivers side, one of his hands still in hers and the keys in the other she opened the door for him and pushed him.

"Mary" he protested confused. What the hell was she thinking? Not that he minded…but it wasn't like her to skip school. It also wasn't like her to practically force him to skip with her.

"Get in Tristan" Rory commanded again, shoving the car keys in his hand before walking around to the other side and letting herself in.

"Where are we going" He asked as he turned the car on, giving up on trying to talk her out of it. After all…how many times does Rory Gilmore force you to play hooky? Might as well make the most of it, he thought.

"Anywhere. Anywhere but Starshollow and here." She said looking straight ahead

"Okay" he drawled out as he sped out of the parking lot. After 15 minutes of driving aimlessly and sneaking quick peaks at her he sighed in frustration "Rory" he said

"You called me Rory" She stated not looking at him

"What's up" he asked slightly irritated

"Are you mad?" She asked incredulously "Seriously? You're mad because I asked you to skip school? Damn…I really thought this time I would make someone happy" She said shaking her head "But I cant even make you happy…I mean I would have thought 'hey, Tristan never comes to class…maybe he wants company wherever he goes during school…' or I thought hey…since I'm _such_ a Mary, I could try living on the wild side a little" She said sarcastically "But no…this doesn't suit me either huh? What? I'm just a constant disappointment to everyone around…it's amazing really. How I can go from being the _perfect_ angel to being on the top of everyone's most wanted list. Fucking Amazing" She ranted her voice rising every few seconds "And to top it all off…_you're_ mad. Or annoyed whatever. What did I do this time Tristan?" She demanded panting slightly

Tristan stared wide eyed at her, glad that he pulled the car over half way through. "Define Bird like" he blurted, the first thing that came to his mind

"Dean! Dean and his stupid bird like pecks. I mean _what_ is that? You'd think that after going out with someone for over 6 months you would learn how to give a decent kiss or two in between the ones where it feels like he's pecking off a part of my face or something! I mean I _tried._ How much can a girl try! They should have a class or something, _something_ for people like him_"_ She shouted

Tristan's shoulders heaved slightly as he tried to keep his laughter at bay. _Birdlike?_ She just described Bag boy to a feathered animal…. "I'm sorry Mary" He said as he cracked up laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.

"What!" She snapped, blushing furiously at the information she just shared with Tristan.

"Ju-hold on for a minute" He said between laughs, starting to calm down at her obvious glare and discomfort

"Tristan!" She shouted angrily, her cheeks still painted crimson

"Sorry" he said trying to keep a straight face "I'm laughing because you're not being serious Mary…"

"No I'm being perfectly serious. I'm being Emily Gilmore serious" She said seriously

"Okay then" Tristan responded "Well then start at the beginning. I thought you were okay when you went home last night" he questioned

"I _was_ fine. And then I went home…and started putting all of his things away. It just felt…weird." She said annoyed.

"I need a little more" he stated

"He has a girlfriend" She mumbled

"Already?" He asked incredulously backing down at _her_ incredulous stare "Okay so I may have that track record as well…but none of them were serious like you two. And come on…its beanstalk we're talking about. How many girls could _want_ that?"

"Oh well thanks, now I feel better" She retorted "And why isn't this car moving!"

"Because when it does start moving I want to be sure that you're not going to suddenly grab the wheel…I'm not moving this car until you calm down" He stated

"I'm calm." She argued "Perfectly calm"

"Right" He snorted in disbelief

"He _already_ has a girlfriend…" She mumbled pitifully again

"So?" He asked simply

"So what?"

"Why do you care? You're not going out anymore…its not that big a deal Mar…I mean eventually you'll find someone else too" he said

"Well yeah but isn't there a certain grace period in which you should be single!" She protested

He shook his head "If that's what helps you…"

"Can we please move now? This conversation is taking a weird turn and think I liked you better all Casanova on me" She joked uneasily

Tristan smirked "Well it was one of my more endearing qualities"

"Endearing?" She snorted amused

"Well at least I don't kiss like a bird" he joked back as he started the car again

"Touché" Rory agreed seriously

"I'm glad you agree because if you want a repeat…all you have to do is ask"

"Drive Tristan" Rory stated.

"Right" he said as he pulled out onto the road again.

"So who's your newest flavor?" Rory asked with raised eyebrows

"Excuse me?" Tristan sputtered

"Girl. With you. Name" She said slowly

"I know what you're talking about Rory. But have you seen me with anyone?" he asked slightly peeved

"No" She said a bit taken back by the tone in his voice

"Well then why would you ask?"

"You're still hung up on summer?" She asked sympathetically

Shaking his head and letting out a bitter laugh, he clenched his jaw "Yeah. Summer that's it. God Rory you can be so dense" he said annoyed

"What are you talking about?" She exclaimed

"You! You okay? I'm hung up on you! Have been for the past year! Everyone except _you_ knows it!" he shouted in frustration

"But I just broke up with Dean" She blurted

"Yes I know. You and bagboy broke up, and you'll probably kiss and make up real soon just like last time." He said bitterly

She shook her head "no we wont" She stated strongly

"You never told me why you ended your great romance with the Beav" he said clutching the steering wheel for dear life as he asked

"You don't want to know" She mumbled knowing he would go AWOL if he found out

He pulled into a small park and turned sharply towards her "Why" he demanded not liking the hesitant tone in her voice

She shook her head "Tristan just leave it. It was mutual" She tried not looking at him and reaching for the door handle

Immediately he locked the doors, shaking his head when she tried opening them "Child lock" he said

"Tristan" She seethed "Open the door"

"I think I deserve to know. I am skipping school with you…and I don't think I've been terrible lately" he reasoned

"Trust me. You won't like it!" She said loudly

"Maybe not! But I want to know!" he matched her volume

"We can't always get what we want Tristan. You may not be familiar with the concept but hey there's a first for everything" she retorted sarcastically

"Just tell me!" He demanded

"No!"

"Fine then I'll just go ask him myself" he said starting the car again

"I'm not going anywhere near him!" She panicked wide eyed finally looking him in the eye.

A scowl formed on Tristan's lips as he stopped what he was doing and once again turned towards her in his seat "He did something didn't he" he stated more then questioned

"I don't want to go near him!" She repeated

Seeing the fearful look in her eye he stopped the retort that was going to come flying out of his big mouth "Okay" he said cautiously "What did he do? I promise I wont go over there and kick his ass…" he coaxed

Rory shook her head, swallowing the lump that rose in her throat "No you will" she assured softly

"Well then I promise I wont do it with you anywhere in the vicinity" he compromised sighing when she remained silent

"I want to tell you…I want to tell someone but I can't" She whispered

"Why not?" he asked

"God I can't even say it!" She said irritated "Too many questions…everyone says they wont ask. But you will…I'm _still_ asking myself"

"You're starting to freak me out Rory. What did he do?" Tristan asked firmly

A few tears escaped Rory's eyes as she slowly began unbuttoning her sweater, shaking her head when she heard Tristan about to speak. Finally she slipped it off and sat quietly, waiting for him to discover what happened.

"What the fuck!" Tristan muttered loudly as he noticed a series of bruises on her arm. "Rory!" He exclaimed

"I know!" She whispered "Just stop it"

"How long?" he asked calmly, clenching his jaw tightly trying to keep himself barging into that stupid market and shoving that apron up his ass.

"A few weeks…I think he was just under a lot of stress. And then I told him that we were friends…" she said shakily

He shook his head "You're making excuses for him?" he asked incredulously

"He didn't hit me or anything…I don't even think he knows what he did" She reasoned

"Well when you grab someone hard enough that it leaves bruises you should probably point that out" he stated

"I just don't want to see him. Ever" Rory pleaded

"Well he lives in your town Rory." Tristan pointed out

"And he sees me at the bus stop every day…and when I'm walking home from the bus stop…"

"You have to tell him" he said leaving no room for argument

"What?" She snapped "What am I supposed to say? Hey Dean, I know we're not together anymore and sorry for ruining your chances with your new hot blonde but you sort of abused me during our relationship without knowing it"

"If that's what you came up with then yeah" He said seriously "And you have to tell your mom"

"Are you kidding? She would be worse than you"

"Where else" Tristan asked

"What are you talking about?"

"Where else did he hurt you" he asked again "Neck right? You never wear your hair down at school"

"Tristan…" She protested when he reached over and picked her hair out of the way, nodding at the bruise on the back of her neck before retrieving his hand

"So where else? Back? Legs?"

"Nowhere" she said quietly

"I'm going to kill him. Murder him. You were right" he seethed, anger practically radiating off of him.

"No. you're not" Rory replied seriously

"Rory!" he said looking like her as if she had grown a second head you expect me to do nothing?"

"Yeah! You know why! Because you're not my boyfriend Tristan…and Dean isn't either so it doesn't matter" she stated, reaching over him and unlocking the doors before stepping out

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A/N: okay so this story was written WAYYY long ago lol. And I just read it again after well…a while. So I decided I'd post it, why not. I mean I did take the time to write it so it's the least I could do. Enjoy, review please


	2. Chapter 2: Makeup, Skirts, Sunglasses

Chapter 2: make-up, skirts, sunglasses

* * *

Slamming the door shut, she leaned herself against it as she took a shaky breath in and slowly let it out, calming herself down. She knew Tristan was only concerned for her but she couldn't take it…She heard the drivers side door click and slowly being pulled open before being shut closed again. She heard him slowly, walk around his car until he came to stand in front of her.

"Rory" she heard him say softly

She shook her head, not looking up at him and crossed her arms in front of her. She knew if she looked at him, she'd have to tell him the truth. And she saw how he reacted when he found out he _accidentally_ left those marks on her, she couldn't even imagine how he'd react if he really knew…

"Rory" he repeated louder this time, trying to get her to look at him

"Not now Tristan" she said quietly hating how her voice shook

He sighed knowing he wasn't going to get her to talk and hesitantly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her forward against him. Sighing, she gave in and took a deep breath, ignoring how her heart seemed to melt at his actions.

Pulling back a few minutes later she smiled sadly up at him, furrowing her eyebrows when he didn't return the smile

"What is this?" he asked, bringing his hand up and stroking the small bruise that was left on her cheek.

Rory immediately stiffened and noticed some of her make up had rubbed off on his white shirt "What?" she asked shakily

"Rory" He stated firmly "what is this? You never wear make up"

"Well I decided to wear it" she said defiantly

"You lied to me" he responded with a shake of his head, dropping his arm and take a step back

"Tristan…" Rory tried

He shook his head "You told me it was on accident. But that's not true is it?" he stated more than asked

"No" Rory whispered

"Get in the car" he stated, walking around to the driver's side and getting in himself

"Where are we going?" she asked softly, knowing he was upset

"I don't know yet" he muttered

"Loo-"

"No!" he interrupted "I thought we were friends." He said afterwards

"We are" She exclaimed

"Then why did you lie?" he demanded

"Because I knew you would have killed him Tristan" she pleaded "I knew you would have gone crazy"

"So" he said not denying anything "that doesn't mean you lie to me. God Rory! You _know _I can't stand being lied to"

"I know" She confirmed "But what was I supposed to do Tristan? I mean you wouldn't leave it alone"

"Yeah" he scoffed "And I'm damn glad I didn't"

"Well now you know. and we're not seeing each other anymore so it doesn't matter"

"Like hell it doesn't!" he shouted making Rory flinch "I should have noticed" he said to himself, quieter

"Don't do that" Rory said softly "Don't blame yourself. This had nothing to do with you" she placed a comforting hand on his arm, hoping he wouldn't shrug it off

Looking down at the contact she made he sighed "You should have told me" he said, taking the hand that was on his arm in his

"I haven't told anyone" she admitted

"I know" He said "But you _need_ to tell your mom"

"You already said that" she countered

"That was before I found out he was abusing you!" he exclaimed, not sugar coating anything

"Its not ab-"

"It is" he interrupted "You may want to believe he was stressed or had good intentions or whatever but it all boils down to abuse"

"You seem to know a lot about this" She said quietly

Tristan closed his eyes and sighed "Yeah well…I've been through it" he said making Rory's head snap up in his direction and fix him with a surprised stare

"What?" she whispered

"My step mom…when I was younger."

"But I thought your parents-"

"Yeah they got back together a few years after their divorce" he said quietly "I don't really want to talk about it"

"I'm sorry"

"I'm not looking for sympathy Rory" he sighed "I just…wish someone would trust me enough to tell me the truth once in a while"

"Tristan…" she shook her head as she breathed his name out softly "I trust you. Otherwise I wouldn't have told you the little bit that I did. Its just hard for me…everyone sees me as this strong independent woman, and I know you do too. I hate disappointing people. If they found out I let this happen…" she choked

"This isn't your fault. Maybe for letting it get this far, but you're human" he said honestly "You cant live up to everyone's expectations, just live up to your own and you'll be fine"

"When did Tristan Dugrey get so deep" she chuckled sadly, wiping some stray tears away

"Why did you tell me?" he asked after a few minutes of silence

"Because I knew you wouldn't judge me" she said softly "…I know we've only been friends for a little while…but you're one of the few people I can share anything with" she admitted

Letting out a breathy laugh, he smiled at her "Good to know. And likewise Mary"

"how am I going to tell my mom?" she asked, looking down at herself "She's gonna kill him"

"Not if I get there first" he scoffed "Its your mom Rory, she'll understand. You two are close…closer than anyone I've ever seen…closer than normal"

"That's why it's so hard" she whispered "She's going to be devastated, devastated that I didn't tell her when it was going on."

"That's something you have to live with. It's hard…but it'll only get harder as time goes on. You _have_ to tell her eventually"

"I _know_"

"Then let's go" he said "You want to get some coffee first?" he asked knowingly

"Shut up" She huffed

"Where?"

"Joe's" She sighed "Best next to Lukes"

* * *

"Not so well huh?" he said sympathetically as he watched her struggle with her emotions while climbing into his car.

"I cant…I cant" she sobbed, shaking her head violently. She banged her head once on the dashboard and Tristan instantly stopped her with an arm around her shoulders.

"Shhh Rory calm down" he whispered

"She hates me…she hates me. I'm weak, I'm stupid" she chanted through her sobs, rocking herself back and forth in her seat.

He shook his head, climbing over the console into the passenger seat after lifting her a little. "Shh" he shushed, holding her head to his chest as he situated them so they were more comfortable, with her partially on his lap. "She just needs time Rory"

Heaving on her sobs, she wasn't able to answer him. He was afraid she was going to pass out if she kept this up…pulling her back from his chest, he waited until she opened her eyes, tears slipping out of them onto her already damp cheeks "look at me" he said firmly

She looked up at him, so much vulnerability showing in her eyes that it made him want to torture that bastard until he could find a way to take it all back. "She loves you" he said strongly "It's too much for her right now Ror, she will come around though. Now can you calm down please?"

Rory nodded, hiccupping "Sorry" She whispered

"Come on, I'll take you to get something to eat" He said, letting her back into the passenger seat

"Yeah thanks. Uhm do you have any tissues?" she asked, her voice still a little hoarse

He reached back and pulled out a box from under his seat. "You alright?"

Rory nodded drying her tears "yeah, I'm fine"

"Pick another word" he mumbled while starting the engine.

Rory stared silently out the window, reminiscing the conversation she just had with her mother, her best friend. God…this was such a mess

**"_Hi mom" she said softly when she walked into the house_**

**"_So I'm thinking chicken nuggets for dinner today. What do you think?" Lorelai called from the kitchen "I mean, I know it's not terribly healthy, but since when have we eaten healthy anyway? Luke is poisoning me! Did you know he made me eat an apple today? I mean it was some turnover thing but still…apple" she ranted while taking some things out from the freezer._**

**"_Mom" Rory interrupted_**

**_She turned around and gasped "Rory what happened!" She exclaimed running over to her with a bag of peas and gently touching it to her bruised cheek_**

**"_You should sit down"_**

**"_You didn't get into a bar fight or anything right" She joked uneasily_**

**"_Mom…I'm sorry" she whispered_**

**"_Rory?" Lorelai asked gently but scared out of her mind_**

**"_Dean" She whispered making Lorelai freeze_**

**"_This isn't the first time is it?" she asked quietly "All those times you wore long sleeves, you haven't worn a skirt in months…the sunglasses all day, the hats, the sudden use of make-up" she pieced it all together_**

**"_I'm so sorry" Rory cried_**

**"_Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded_**

**"_I was afraid. I didn't want you to see me as weak"_**

**"_Rory you always tell me…" she said with a sigh of frustration "I love you."_**

**"_I love you too" She choked_**

**"_I can't believe I didn't know" she said quietly "I can't believe you kept something so serious from me. I'm going to kill that little son of a bitch"_**

**"_Mom…"_**

**"_No! Don't Mom me" she exclaimed "You need to tell me these things sweetie! And you are definitely not stopping me from talking to his sorry ass, and afterwards we're filing a report!"_**

**"_Mom-"_**

**"_Room, now Rory" she said seriously needing to think about this for a bit. _**

**_Rory shook her head, tears blurring her vision as she ran out the front door and towards Tristan's car. She needed to get away; she didn't want to deal with the disappointment._**

"Rory" she heard "Mary!"

Shaking her head she turned to Tristan who had a concerned look on his face "we're here" he said pointing at Lukes. "Whoa what's wrong? I thought you loved Lukes" he asked quickly at the terrified look on her face

He followed her gaze when she didn't reply and growled deep in his throat "Rory" he said sternly "Stop looking at him…"

"Let's just go Tristan" she pleaded

"I'll be right back" he mumbled unbuckling his seat belt, stopping when he felt a small hand restraining his

"Please?" She shook her head "Not now. Not here"

"I think it's too late for that" he said as calmly as he could. She looked over and noticed Dean was staring at them intently. He had such a livid look on his face it sent shivers up her spine. "Hey, he's not gonna touch you" Tristan whispered "Keep your seatbelt on, I'll go deal with this" he said when they noticed Dean walking towards them

"You'll be okay right?" he asked just as he was about to open the door

Rory nodded "Don't do anything stupid okay? He's not worth it"

"But you are" he said softly quickly stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut before the scumbag could come any closer. Before he reached him however, a flurry of red came running out of nowhere and smacked the tall beanstalk in the face.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY DAUGHTER!" Lorelai screamed after she had slapped him "I BETTER NOT SEE YOUR SORRY ASS HERE AGAIN!"

Dean looked shocked at the contact and angrily grabbed Lorelai by her arms before Tristan punched him, a loud crack echoing in the distance.

Rory watched in horror as everything unfolded before her. This was all her fault, why the hell did she have to be so stupid?

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked Lorelai, shaking his hand out

Lorelai nodded "yeah thanks" she said

"Great it's the accountant" he heard a chuckle from behind them.

He immediately snapped around to face him and shook his head "I wouldn't be so smug beanstalk, you should know you have a whole lot of shit coming at you from just about every direction"

Dean chuckled humorlessly "I should have known she'd run to you. She always does…but don't be fooled. Its only when she needs someone, only when she's _using_ you" he said cruelly, earning him a punch in the gut from Tristan, causing him to double over

"Shut the fuck up Bean" he seethed "You won't touch her again. I can swear by that"

"She's not worth it, don't waste your time" he gasped out just as he was punched again, this time knocking him into the ground.

"Shut the fuck up" Tristan shouted "Just shut up!"

Lorelai shook her head and quickly ran over to Tristan, tugging on his arm "He's not worth it Tristan. Leave him…just let the police deal with him" she said "Come on…don't do anything you're going to regret later"

Tristan kicked him in the gut once more before walking back towards his car "You need a ride back home?" he asked Lorelai

Lorelei shook her head "I was going in to see Luke" she said quietly

"I'll have Rory home early" he promised

Lorelai shook her head "If she's talking to you…just make sure she's okay. Don't worry about having her home, just…fix her" she whispered

"I'm trying" he responded

* * *

A/N: Okay, so there it is. Any critiques/ideas/compliments are appreciated! Or just drop by and rant about something haha. Anyways, please please review! I hope you all like it!


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